Aiming Bracket and Plate Assembly for LED Retrofit Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Specialized lighting systems, such as those for sports fields and large exterior areas, face challenges in retrofitting from high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps to LED lamps due to disparate power requirements and non-standardized components, leading to issues like photometric and physical interference, reduced glare control, and structural integrity concerns.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an aiming bracket and aiming plate assembly, along with self-contained ballast driver assemblies and LED luminaires, which adapt to existing systems by providing a power supply solution and ensuring proper aiming without interfering with the existing infrastructure, while using existing components to maintain lighting uniformity and efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If one-for-one replacement approach is used to retrofit HID lighting systems with LED fixtures, then installation cost is reduced and existing infrastructure is preserved, but lighting uniformity deteriorates and dark spots appear due to restricted aiming range
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system is divided into separate functional components: an aiming bracket that attaches to the existing crossarm, an aiming plate with adjustment mechanisms, and the LED fixture itself. This segmentation allows the fixture to be positioned independently without being constrained by the original mounting footprint, enabling proper aiming while maintaining cost-effective retrofitting.
Solution Approach 2:
The aiming bracket serves as an intermediary component between the existing crossarm and the new LED fixture. It provides a flexible mounting interface that decouples the fixture position from the crossarm hole location, allowing the fixture to be aimed correctly without requiring precise alignment with original HID fixture positions.
2Ease of operation
If existing crossarms are drilled with new holes to accommodate retrofit fixtures, then fixture installation is enabled, but crossarm structural integrity deteriorates and corrosion risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The aiming bracket is designed to attach to existing crossarm holes without requiring new drilling. All necessary mounting provisions are prepared in advance on the bracket itself, allowing installation on existing infrastructure while preserving crossarm integrity and avoiding additional corrosion risks from new drill holes.
3Adaptability or versatility
If LED fixtures are installed in existing HID footprints, then infrastructure utilization is maximized, but aiming flexibility is restricted leading to photometric interference
Solution Approach 1:
The aiming system incorporates dynamic adjustment capabilities through the aiming plate and bracket mechanism. The fixture can be positioned and aimed in multiple directions beyond the fixed HID footprint, providing both infrastructure utilization and aiming flexibility to eliminate photometric interference and adapt to various lighting requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for retrofitting a HID lighting system includes using existing components of previously installed HID lighting systems such as its ballasts while replacing some capacitors to adjust the power supplied to a retrofit LED luminaire. Unused ballast drivers are removed, and a self-contained ballast driver assembly is mounted into the electronic control enclosure of the previously installed lighting system. Some of the retrofit LED luminaires include an uplighting lens, an optic, or a diffuser for providing uplight. An aiming bracket and an aiming plate allow for the horizontal aiming angle of a light luminaire to be set.